Anton Marcus/Variety Club

This morning Variety Club did a light canter after having a big blow out on Thursday when he did a nice piece of work with what I believe is a very good Group 2 winning 7 furlong horse of Mike’s. All were impressed but the only difference is that was on the grass and he will be racing on the tapeta. This is really venturing into no man’s land as far as all of us are concerned. He runs in the Firebreak Stakes on Thursday over a mile. It is a Group 3 race but we don’t have the draconian rules of Group 1 penalties lasting so long for horses so his Group 1 penalty does not apply here and he is able to run off a reasonable mark. Everyone is extremely excited and I personally cannot wait for race day on Thursday.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) will be fast work day where VC will have his final work out. Anton is striding around like one of Mike’s itchy chickens. He cannot wait to get on with the job. I am sure he finds it most frustrating riding only one or two horses a morning compared to his twelve or thirteen back in SA. I think it is frustrating for everyone out here as while there is plenty of work going on around one, everything is exceptionally well organised and happens fairly effortlessly – something we will have to work on when I return home. There is also an extremely decent farrier here, Declan Cronin, whom I have known for twenty plus odd years. He has the most remarkable theories and these are really worth discussing – but that is for another day.

However, time is money and tonight we have another prawn, pigeon and lamb braai going on at the Blue Stable complex. It is all systems go and I think de Kock and I are off to buy yet more prawns and carrots. The blokes at the supermarket will think we are running a restaurant. So it is prawns for us and carrots for the big chestnut horse. I cannot wait to go shopping so this is your Captain signing off on DAY 155, 10th February.